Horse Lake
Lake County, Minnesota715 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Horse Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 25 ft max depth
- Limited data
Horse Lake in Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 25 ft. Surface area: 714.89 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 12, 1991 caught 4.14 walleye per gill net at Horse Lake. DNR survey details →
Horse Lake is a 715-acre lake in Lake County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 25 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-07-03. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Horse Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Horse Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota DNR and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Horse Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Horse Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7 ft. TSI 49.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 7ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 49 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Horse Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 12, 1991 caught 4.14 walleye per gill net at Horse Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Horse Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
2 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 1991-06-12 (Standard Survey).
2 surveys on file · most recent 1991-06-12 (Standard Survey)
35 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Sucker | 5.41 | 2.13 lb | |
| Yellow Perch | 5.23 | 0.33 lb | |
| Northern Pike | 4.15 | 3.09 lb | |
| Rock Bass | 3.91 | 0.21 lb | |
| Walleye | 3.82 | 1.5 lb | |
| Tullibee (Cisco) | 3.30 | 0.29 lb |
CPUE = catch per unit effort, fish caught per net per set in a standardised survey. It measures abundance, not size, and is not a weekly bite report.
From the 1991-06-12 survey
Fish populations are dominated by white sucker and northern pike, followed by walleye, yellow perch and shorthead redhorse. Low numbers of cisco, bluegill, rock bass and smallmouth bass were also captured in this gillnet assessment. Cisco sizes ranged from 5 in the area. Size of other fish are average for the area.…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Horse Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — HorseFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
25 ft
Surface area
715 acres
Shoreline
13.4 mi
Littoral zone
52%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
42 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,293 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
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Stays near Horse Lake
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Fishing Horse Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
EPA Impairment Status
Horse Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN38-0792-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Lake County
Frequently asked questions about Horse Lake
Where is Horse Lake?
- Horse Lake is a lake in Lake County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Horse Lake?
- Horse Lake in Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 25 ft. Surface area: 714.89 acres.
Is Horse Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Horse Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Horse Lake?
- Horse Lake has a maximum depth of 25 feet. The lake covers 714.89 acres.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Horse Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 12, 1991 caught 4.14 walleye per gill net at Horse Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Horse Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Horse Lake?
- Public access to Horse Lake is listed as no on the lake record, so confirm before you make the trip. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Minnesota's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Horse Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
32 measurements from 10 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA32 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
Monitoring station identifiers (10)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder